We've given up on churchgoing, but not on Christianity

Just one in ten attends a service every week, meaning most of the population only turn up for baptisms, weddings or funerals.

Britain has not, however, lost its faith.

More than half of us are still happy to describe ourselves as Christians, according to the survey by the charity Tearfund.

And around three million say they would only need the slightest encouragement to darken a church's door more frequently.

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Deserted: Churchgoing is declining

"What is clear from this survey is that the UK is holding firmly to the Christian faith," said Matthew Frost, chief executive of the charity. "This is a great encouragement."

Of the 7,000 respondents, one in four went to church at least once a year. One in seven attended a service once a month.

The Reverend Steven Croft, who was appointed by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams to spread the faith, added: "A very substantial part of the population of the UK still attends church regularly or occasionally during the year.

"Christians are not, as yet, the tiny minority some would suggest."

The survey has been published as churches increasingly raise their voice on political issues.

Some observers believe that the Church of England in particular is beginning to recover some of its lost confidence within the public arena. New laws on gay rights have provoked protests from many leaders, including Anglican bishops who fear their schools and services will be forced to bow to demands from the homosexual lobby.

The leader of English Roman Catholics, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, has threatened to close Catholic adoption agencies if they are forced to place children with gay couples and has spoken of a threat to democracy and the right to religious opinion.

Anglican leaders such as Dr Williams and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu have also been speaking with growing conviction on subjects such as gambling, marriage and multi-culturalism.

The Church was also highly critical of attempts to banish Christianity from modern life, such as when British Airways tried to ban its workers from wearing crosses.

Recent polls have suggested the popularity of religion is waning. A Guardian survey, for example, claimed four out of five believe religion is a source of division and tension.

But Tuesday's survey by the Christian charity, taken among over 16s, appears to confound these findings. Fifty-three per cent of respondents said they thought of themselves as Christians.

Those who didn't go to church regularly said a personal invitation, a family or a friend attending or difficult personal circumstances would all encourage them to attend. Around three million could be brought in by such means.

The report, Churchgoing in the UK, also revealed that 22 per cent of Londoners attend church each month.

This is the second highest rate after Northern Ireland, where the figure is 45 per cent.

Regular churchgoing is particularly high among adults of black ethnic origin, with 48 per cent attending church monthly - more than three times the proportion among white adults.

Older people are more likely to belong to the faith.

Three-quarters of those aged between 65 and 74 are Christian, compared to the average of 53 per cent.

Only a third of 16 to 34-year-olds see themselves as Christian.

The poll also found that churches still play an important role in local communities.

Six in ten of those surveyed said they would be concerned if their local church were to close.

In the national census taken in 2001, more than 71 per cent of Britons described themselves as Christian.